Between the Sky and the Sea
by Ivorette
Summary: The difference between Captain Jack Sparrow and Commodore Norrington is highlighted in the difference between the sky and the sea.


This is another timed challenge written for a livejournal community in which I had to incorporate the element of air as a significant theme in the piece. The first draft was written in about 48 minutes, but I decided to revamp it so that I could post it here. I'm very glad I did, I'm much happier with how it is now. Why don't you tell me what you think?  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, events, and settings from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" are the property of Disney. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made.  
  
*****  
  
Despite what the stories say, the sea is not what decides the quality of a sailor. The wise look to the wind, because that is where you will see the true measure of a man at sea: what he can do, what he can't do, and what the wind and sea will choose to do for him.  
  
Though Commodore Norrington has faced Jack Sparrow (he refuses say "Captain" in public or private) on the same sea many times, it's a rare occasion when he manages to catch the same winds as The Black Pearl. The commodore often thinks about the pirate in relation to the wind, and how everything about the dirtier, scruffier man seems revel in the breeze: loose clothing flapping in a sudden gust, long hair whipping around his face, devious grins and glances dancing in perfect rhythm with the swaying rigging and bright glare off of the water's waves.  
  
Norrington wears stiffer clothing in muted, predictable colors and his eyes rarely dance. His hair is short, his wig is somber; even his sails seem to flap with less gusto than they should. He watches his words carefully and his face remains closed, showing little other than determination and resolve. He is everything that his station requires and uses everything that the sea could possibly give him, and yet he feels that it is not enough, that he is lacking a vital quality.  
  
The wind is much more exclusive than the sea; every man can sail the same waters, but few can ride the same breezes. Jack Sparrow has the freedom to up and get to Tortuga on the slightest whim, or to run from Port Royal when things are not in his favor and there is little to stay for. There isn't a single person, place, or commitment that is more important than his personal freedom. Norrington, however, must mark his reports carefully and steer into certain harbors, observing certain rules and departing only when it is appropriate. He cannot break the rules of engagement or the laws of the colony, and he feels this every time the pirate Jack Sparrow outmaneuvers the H. M. S. Dauntless. While water leaves residue that Norrington must let dry, the wind sticks to nothing and yet manages to carry Sparrow with it.  
  
Does the wind give the pirate the extra push he needs to escape law and civilization? The commodore fears that if this is the case, then Sparrow will win every time.  
  
Norrington sees the glint of Jack Sparrow's eyes even from such a distance, mocking the commodore for the life he's chosen and showing him what he can never have. Gazing with customary determination and resolve at the pirate, now a distant flurry of dark hair and loose clothing, the commodore's stomach lurches. Norrington wonders what Sparrow would say if he knew that the commodore would willingly go with him, sail the same winds to Tortuga and live out the familiar stories that he secretly enjoys. He knows his life is prosperous and good, but a secret and niggling doubt constantly wishes, constantly feels the envy.  
  
Norrington wonders how the winds of freedom might feel on his face, and is afraid that it may be too late for the breeze to even consider him. He wonders if Jack Sparrow chose the life he did because he knew the difference between the wind and the sea.  
  
Norrington wonders this because he is sick of drifting with the current and feeling the drag of water on his vessel's prow. He wants to find favor with the wind and use it to fill his sails.  
  
*****  
  
Liked it? Hated it? Favorite lines or things that drove you crazy? Drop a review! I'd love to hear about it. 


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